France will continue to supply weapons to Ukraine. According to L’Opinion, kyiv will soon receive the TRF1, a towed gun, which, unlike the Caesar, its successor, is not installed on a truck.
These 155mm howitzers are no longer used in the French Army. They were produced by Giat-Industries (now Nexter) in the 1980s and 1990s. Of the 105 ordered by the MoD, around ten are still in service with a regiment stationed in Djibouti. The others have been eliminated to be replaced by Caesar. They were bought by the company S2M-Equipment, a specialist in refurbished military equipment. Headquartered in Indre-et-Loire, it offers all types of reconditioned military vehicles (P4, VAB…) and “combat tested”.
Autonomy of 24 kilometers
The TRF1 has a range of 24 kilometers with conventional shells and 30 kilometers with active-reactive shells. Its rate of fire is 6 shots per minute. It is motorized to move at less than 10 km/h to change position after firing. A crew of 7 people is needed to operate this 10-ton cannon.
France has already delivered many weapons, including 18 Caesar guns taken from army stocks. France will invest 85 million euros to replace them. In May, during her trip to Ukraine, Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna affirmed France’s support. She estimated the total amount of aid paid by France, both military and humanitarian, at two billion dollars.
Yesterday at the meeting of Ukraine Defense Contact Groupat the American base at Ramstein in Germany, the United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced an aid of 675 million dollars in the delivery of weapons. This new aid includes multiple guided rocket launchers called GMLRS, 105mm howitzers, artillery ammunition, as well as Humvees, armored ambulances, anti-tank systems and small arms.
Source: BFM TV
